Michigan Top Tier Elite Deadline Analysis

Matt Kenseth

What I said about him earlier this week:

Michigan is a Roush track and Kenseth is always one of the drivers to beat at MIS. I expect nothing to be different in the Quicken Loans 400. Last June Kenseth finished 2nd, led 17 laps and had the best driver rating (130.1). In the August race he finished 10th but take note of his second place start and third place average running position. In the last three high speed intermediate track races this season Kenseth has finished has finished 10th (Charlotte, could’ve been better but had a costly pit road mistake), 4th (Kansas, smaller version of MIS) and 5th (Texas). This season on high speed intermediates Kenseth has an 11.4 average finish and an 8.4 average running position.

Starting Position:

6th

Practice 10 Lap Average Rankings:

Practice #1: Did not complete 10 consecutive laps. Only three drivers ran 10 consecutive laps

Happy Hour: 2nd (196.969 MPH)

Happy Hour #2: Did not complete 10 consecutive laps. Only eight drivers ran 10 consecutive laps.

Chassis Selection:

Matt Kenseth will be piloting a new chassis this week.

Pit Stall Location:

Kenseth is pitting in pit stall #43. He has a clear entrance into his pit stall and likely start and parker Josh Wise is pitting in front of him.

Areas of concern:

No concerns. He’ll be tough to beat in the Quicken Loans 400.

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Denny Hamlin

What I said about him earlier this week:

Denny Hamlin has won the last two spring races at Michigan. Last August he finished 35th due to hitting the wall and damaging his car. Before that he had a five race top ten streak at MIS. Hamlin has a great feel for tracks that are similar to Michigan. At the two most similar tracks visited this season he’s had impressive performances. At Kansas he visited victory lane and at Auto Club Speedway he started on the pole and finished 11th. He had a top three car but during the final pit stop he elected to pit for fuel and then the race was red flagged (rain). Denny Hamlin is coming on strong and he’ll be a tough competitor for the the Roush Fords.

Starting Position:

11th

Practice 10 Lap Average Rankings:

Practice #1: Did not complete 10 consecutive laps. Only three drivers ran 10 consecutive laps

Happy Hour: 9th (195.657 MPH)

Happy Hour #2: Did not complete 10 consecutive laps. Only eight drivers ran 10 consecutive laps.

Chassis Selection:

Joe Gibbs Racing does not report chassis selections.

Pit Stall Location:

Denny Hamlin is pitting in pit stall #13. Ken Schrader is pitting behind him and Landon Cassill is pitting in front of him. This could be a problem during green flag pit stops if Cassill remains on the lead lap.

Areas of concern:

Jordan had concerns about Hamlin’s motor. Check it out in his predictions post.